Buildings and infrastructure can include a variety of devices or equipment requiring regular inspection. In some areas, including those where resources such as water, electricity, gas, and others are shared, various devices related to utilities or shared resources can be subject to regulatory oversight of the inspections.
In an example, buildings or devices connected to a water utility can be equipped with backflow preventers. A backflow preventer is a device that precludes water that has entered a private system from comingling with water “upstream” of the preventer. Pressure drops in a water system, or even periods without fluid movement, present a risk of water (or other fluid) that has been moved “downstream” in a system flowing backward. Through use of backflow preventers, fluid that has been potentially exposed to contaminants or pollutants is prevented from re-entering pipes or other conduits where it may be passed to non-contaminated areas.
To ensure the integrity of shared water sources such as mains, both purveyors and consumers share an interest in properly functioning backflow preventers. This interest has been adopted by various governments or administrative bodies in the form of regulations requiring installation and periodic inspection of backflow preventers (and other devices or services). This has led to huge numbers of required inspections. With so many inspections required and limited resources to oversee compliance, error and fraud can arise. Further, the data gathered through inspections may become difficult to monitor and manage, at times causing incomplete records or record discrepancies.
Such challenges are not limited exclusively to backflow preventers. Similar conditions exist for a variety of devices and technologies subject to managed inspection or service. For example, related devices such as fire protection (e.g., sprinklers), plumbing components, irrigation systems, and others can be maintained and inspected according to regulation. Further, devices unrelated to utilities can be regulated, tracked, and managed in similar ways, and solutions related to backflow preventers can be extended to other technologies.